Electric locking attachment



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. J. MEYERS. ELEGTRIG'LOGKING ATTACHMENT No. 427,341. A I Patented May 6, 1890.

A rromvf rs (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

v H. J. MEYERS. ELECTRIC LOCKING ATTACHMENT.

No. 427,341. 7 Patented May 6, 1890.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMANN J. MEYERS, OF BROOKLYN, NEWV YORK.

ELECTRIC LOCKING ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lette rs Patent No. 427,341, dated May 6, 1890. Application filed January 27, 1890- Serial No. 338,193. (No model.)

\ practiced by thieves is to enter stores where valuable goods of portable naturesuch as diamonds and jewelry-are for sale, and by pretense get access to the same, which at a propitious moment are seized and boldly carried away by the fleeing robber.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a simple-practical device whereby the main door for ingress and egress to and from a store-room may be instantly secured to prevent its opening sufficiently for the passage therethrough of a person, said locking apparatus being under the control of a party behind a counter or other preferred point.

The invention further comprehends the provision of means to retain a door in open adjustment and to close and lock the same speedily by manipulation of a push-button or electrical circuit-closer at the rear of a counter or other suitable locality.

To these ends my invention consists in cerlain features of construction and combinations of parts, as is hereinafter described, and indicated in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

Figure l is a plan view of the door-locking attachment, partly in section, 011 the line l 1 in Fig. 2, interior working parts being shown in dotted lines, and other parts being shown broken away. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the device in position on a door and its casement, the view being taken 011 the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan View of a curved locking-bar, which is an essential feature of the door-holding attachment. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the under side of the outer end of the locking-bar shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 .is a perspective View of the device in position on a door and its casement as seen from a point in front of and above the door. Fig. 6 is a sectional front elevation of the lock-case, taken on the line 6 6 in Fig. 2, parts being shown broken away; and

Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view of the case, taken on the line '7 7 in Fig. 6, parts being removed to exhibit clearly the construction of the locking-bolt and its operating connections, the view being taken in the direction of the arrow in said figure.

A represents the upper transverse rail of a door, and A the door-casement, on which the door complete is supported by springhinges of any approved form, as shown in Fig. 5 at a, which when free to act will close the door.

On the transverse rail A there is a lockcase B, secured by screws or other means, said case being seated on a projecting block Z), provided to hold the lock-case projected away from the door sufficiently to avoid the abutment thereon of other parts, as shown in Fig. 2. The case B is preferably made rectangular, of any suitable metal, having walls of sufficient thickness to render it substantial, the top plate and one side wall being removable to permit the proper location of working mechanism in the case.

Upon a bracket-stand c in the case 13 two similar electro-magnets (Z are secured, which, occupying a nearly central position in the case, permit other parts to be placed around them, which are directly and indirectly connected thereto.

Near the case B, and in alignment with it when the door is shut, a' locking-bar O is loosely supported to project from the upper cross-piece of the door-casement by its pivotal engagement with the bracket-plate C, between the parallel" jaws of which its end is located. The case B is slotted at opposite points through the upper portion of its front and rear walls of such relative size as to permit the introduction of the locking-bar O, as

door is swung on its hinges, and throughout its length a projecting central rib e is formed, which is of the same lateral curvature as the bar-edges. At a proper poi nt n ear the bracketplate 0 a series of spaced ratchet-teeth c is produced by notching the rib e. Said teeth slope toward the pivot-point of the bar for engagement with a vertical slide-bolt f, that is loosely supported in the slideway-boX f, as shown in Fig. 2,where it will be seen that the vertical shoulders e on the ratchet-teeth 6 will when interlocked with the perpendicular face of the slide-bolt f prevent the door A from being swung open, while the inclination of the upper end of said bolt will permit it to slide 011 the sloping surface of the teeth e and let.the door be closed without obstructing the same. On the slideway-box f at a suitable point opposite the upper ends of the magnets (Z the armature d is pivoted between ears (Z projecting from the box f, so that it may have contact with the poles or cores of the magnets, the distance between the armature d and said poles or cores being such that when the magnets are energized by completion of a circuit with a local battery (not shown) the armature will be forcibly attracted and drawn down a limited distance. At (1 on the armature d a depending link g is pivoted, the lower end of said link having pivotal engagement with a rock-arm 71,, pivotally supported on a fulcrum-block h, the opposite end of the rock-arm being pivoted to an upright push-rod 11, that slides within the bolt f, said bolt being sustained free to yield by a spiral spring 2", which in turn rests upon an integral collar 2' on the rod 1'.

In operation the normal position of the parts is as shown in Fig. 2, the electro-magnets d, which are connected as one in their coils, having the ends k of their wire coils extended to connect them with a local battery. (Not shown.) One strand of each coil, being projected to a point which is convenient of access behind the store-counter, is cut and connected to an ordinary contact-producing device, which may be a push-button or switch lever. The circuit, being normally open, is closed by the device just named when it is desired to hold the door from being opened, which is' obviously effected by the locking engagement of the slide-bolt f with the teeth 6 of the locking-bar C. It will be evident that when there is no current passing through the compound magnet cl (Z the armature (1 will be elevated by the fall of the slide-bolt f, to which the armature is connected by the link g, rock-arm h, and rod e. If the door should be opened a few inches by aparty who is to be detained from escaping, the slide-bolt f will be thrown into one of the notches in the bar 0, and lock against a shoulder c if the battery-circuit is closed in time to throw said slide-bolt upwardly.

During the heated term in summer it is desirable for ventilation of a store-room to have the front door in an open position. Provision is made in this locking attachment for permitting the door on which it is attached to be retained in open adjustment, and when occasion requires to be closed by manipulating a circuit-closer behind the counter. Said feature of construction will now be described.

The pendent latching-bolt m is secured upon and supported to swing by a transverse shaft on, which is journaled at its ends in a depending hanger m and a bracket-block m said parts being respectively affixed on the top wall of the case B and one side of the same, so that the shaft m is supported in a horizontal plane and is free to rock.

A sloping latch-headn is formed on the upper portion of the pendent latch-bolt m, projecting therefrom in the same vertical plane with the lower surface 0 of the convex curved edge portion of the locking-bar O. The sloping latch-head n is so relatively located with regard to the lower surface of the locking-bar that it will nearly touch the same, and thus be caused to impinge on the inclined integral latching-shoulder '17, formed on the surface 0 of the locking-bar O near its outer end, which shoulder has its vertical face 1) adapted to effect a locking engagement with the pendent bolt m oppositely to the locking engagement of the slide bolt f with the shoulders c on the said locking-bar. The rocking latch-bolt m has a pendent limb 7", formed on the edge opposite to that from which the latch-head 4?, projects upwardly, said pendent limb having a sloping latch-lug 1* formed on its side which is adjacent to the front magnet (Z.

Upon the outer vertical wall of the case B a bracket-flange r is secured, upon the side of which a horizontal latch-clog s is pivoted at s, the sloping latch-ear s on which is adj acent to the latch-lug r on the pendent latch-bar limb r, and it is apparent that when this limb r is vertical a latching engagement of the dog 5 and said limb will be effected by the pivotal movements of said parts. 011 the bracket-flange r a weak leaf-spring t is attached by one end, said spring being made to bear upon the lower surface of the latch-dog 3 near its end, which is close to the outervertical wall of the case l3, so that the spring will by its resilience holdthe latch-ear in engagement with the latch-lug-r on the limb 0' and permit an upward movement of the latch end of the dog when the spring-engaged end of the same is pressed down. There is a vertical slot 10, of proper length, made in the bracket-flange r opposite to the pendent link g, from which latter a pin a projects, and, passing through the slot at, is located with its free end above the latch-dog s, and bears loosely thereon, so as to hold the body of the latch-dog horizontal and in contact with the leaf-spring t.

As previously stated, the pendent latch-bolt m will by rocking on its pivot-support m ride over the latch-shoulder p and abut with its straight face against the vertical wall 9 IIO of said latch-shoulder when the door is in opened adjustment, and when such a connection of parts is effected the slide-bolt f will lie with its sloping upper end below the notch 7;, formed in the rib 6, until a depression of the armature-bar d causes an elevation of this bolt, when it will enter the notch 12 on the locking-bar C, said slide-bolt being free to move inwardly toward the bracket-plate C, that supports the locking-bar when this is necessary, the spring-hinges a being capable of swinging the door to close it when permitted to do so.

Should it be desired to release the door when locked open, as has just been explained, the local battery being in working condition, any suitable circuit-closer behind the counter or at any other preferred point inthe storeroom may be manipulated to complete the electric circuit, energize the duplex magnet d, which will attract the armature (1, push the link 9 down, and by pressure of the pin to, that projects laterally therefrom, trip the dog 8 and release the pendent latch-bolt 971, so that it will be rocked by the tension of the spring door-hinges a, and the door A be simultaneously closed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with a door and its casement, of a locking-bar pivoted on the casement, a latch-bolt sliding in a casin g supported on the door andadapted to engage lockingnotches on the locking-bar, an electro-magnet connected with the sliding latch-bolt, and wires leading from the magnet to an electric generator, which when in closed circuit will attract the armature of the magnet'and move the slide-bolt to interlock it with the lockingbar, substantially as set forth. I

2. The combination, with a door, its casement, and a locking-bar pivoted to the casement, of a bolt sliding in a casing 011 the door, an electro-magnet in said casing, a verticallyvibrating armature above the magnet, connections, substantially as shown, between the armature and the sliding bolt, and an electrical generator connected with the magnet, which when in closed circuit with the magnet will energize the same, pull down the armature, and slide the locking-bolt into engagement with the locking-bar, substantially as set forth.

The combination, with a door, its casearmature and the slide-bolt for transmitting reciprocatory motion from the armature to the slide-bolt when the magnet is electrically energized, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a door, its casem cut, and a pivoted locking-bar having ratcheI-teeth at intervals on its lower side and near to the casement, of a casing supported on the door and slotted to allow the locking-bar to slide through it, a vertical slide-bolt in said casing, supported to yield when the door is closed and adapted to interlock with the ratchet-teeth 0f the locking-bar when the door is partly opened, an electro-magnet supported in the casing, a hinged armature adapted to engage the poles of the magnet, a link pivoted on the free end of the armature, a rockarm connected to said link, and an upright push-rod connected to said rock-arm, having a spring thereon, which cushions the vertical slide-bolt seated thereon. substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a door, its casement, and a laterally-curved locking-bar pivoted to vibrate vertically on thecasement, of a casing secured on the door and slotted to receive the locking-bar, a pendent rocking latchbolt in said casing, an electro-magnet in said casing, a pivoted armature adapted to vibrate and engage the poles of the magnet, a link pivoted on the free end of the armature, and

the pendent latch-bolt stable when the armature is elevated and release said bolt when the armature is attracted by the magnet, substantially as set forth.

HERMANN J. MEYERS. WVitnesses:

WILLIAM SMITH, ROBERT F. STEVENS, Jr.

a rocking horizontal latch-dog adapted to hold 

